


Falling Skyhigh

by treesided_triangle



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: (literally), (read this and you will know), A healthy amount of love for animals (birds), Alcohol, Begging, Drunk makeouts (hell yea), F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Guns, I'm not gonna tag Tiny Tina she only speaks like two lines, M/M, bloodwing - Freeform, later chapters may be added, man I am so in love with Mordy you don't even know, ok time for tags, shrugs, some bickering between mordy and moxxi but they're fine, some more alcohol, the title is lame i know but the work title in my writer is 'bang bang bitch' so, uuuuuuuuuuuuhhh, yeah thats it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 19:13:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treesided_triangle/pseuds/treesided_triangle
Summary: The art of sniping can be easy to learn, but hard to master. That is why you have decided to take part in lessons given by Mordecai, hoping to improve your skills. And who knows, you might learn a thing or two.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I might've gotten myself a little addicted to the Borderlands series, and I may or may not have fallen in deep with this goddamn mess of a birb man,, The wildlife preservation mission hurt my heart so much I had to write something happy w him.  
> I hope if u love this rakkaholic just as much as I do that u enjoy this fic that I've been working on the past few days instead of studying for finals. 
> 
> Another quick note: I've tried my best to keep the reader's gender vague and ambiguous, so you can imagine anything you want there. I hope that's cool! And I know the environments' descriptions don't always fit the canon but uuuuuh artistic freedom  
> Now what the heck are you still doing here go read this mess

There it was, no turning back now. Well, technically, you could turn back around and take the coward train to piss-your-pants station, but you'd promised yourself you would buy no ticket to that one. The hills of Tundra Express stood proudly before you even though they were sorry excuses for hills, the only one they'd make proud would be their mother if anything. Still the landscape felt intimidating, littered with bandit camps and bloodthirsty creatures. You steadied the grip on your revolver. Nothing you couldn't handle, especially with your current goal so near in sight. 

Taking out those nasty bugs was easier than you thought, and within a little less than an hour you'd successfully fought yourself toward the tower looking over the land. As you came to the hill it stood on, you found no visible entrance except for the cave that dynamite loving child called her home. Admittedly you did not want to mess with her, considering she could blow you to bits and pieces if you made a wrong move. She might just invite you to a fancy tea party and turn out to be the kind of person that uses explosives on the people who otherwise would've died by your gunfire, but it was not worth the risk you decided. And so you walked around the base of the small cliff, attempting to find stairs, a ladder, hell even a rope would do. In the end you simply climbed up the rocky surface trying your hardest not to slip or look down. 

This had to be the most inaccessible home you'd ever seen; no wonder the guy got along so well with his bird, he must be one himself to be crazy enough to make his home up here. It did provide a nice view over the area though, which you'd certainly enjoy more if you weren't clinging onto dear life and mossy rocks. 

Suddenly, you felt a grip on your arm and you were pulled upwards in one swift motion, trying and failing to keep yourself from letting out a surprised shout. 

"Hey, no need to be afraid", he said, letting go of your arm to offer you the same hand to shake. You took it and did your best not to look like you just climbed up a cliff, flashing him a smile that you hoped was friendly but not too friendly.

"Name's Mordecai. I take it you're here 'cuz of the sniping lessons?" 

"Yeah", you nodded, taking off your backpack to reach into it and retrieve your rifle. "I've been thinking, and I wanna improve in long range combat. I'd love to be as good as you one day- um," you took the sniper rifle into your hands and swung the backpack onto one of your shoulders again, "The thing is, I live in Sanctuary, and while I do get out to train I just can't seem to find the right spots for it. And this one's just perfect."

"Alright, sounds solid. Let me take a look at that." You handed him your rifle, and he let out a pleased hum as he examined it. You saw he had a trained eye, knew exactly what he was looking at down to its smallest components. You wouldn't admit it but you felt a slight sense of admiration and respect. 

"Not bad, not bad", he finally said, letting the weapon fall back into your hands. He turned around, gesturing to you to follow. 

"You know you coulda just asked Tina to let you in right? You didn't have to climb your way up here" 

"I, uh," You scratched the back of your neck. A nervous habit. "I didn't wanna... mess with her" 

He let out a laugh, "Mess with Tiny Tina, hah! The only way you'll get her to kill you is if you steal one of her beloved stuffed animals. Stuffed as in filled with explosives, obviously." He came to a halt at a platform that stretched out from the tower, its railing the only thing separating you from an unpleasant fall to your death. Then again what would a pleasant fall to your death look like? 

"I gotta say, as entertaining as that was to watch, I appreciate your dedication. You're not exactly moving mountains yet but we'll get there" he chuckled and hit you on the back with a hard but friendly pat.  
You smiled. "I'm learning from the best"

 

Time passed swiftly as Mordecai let you in on some of his techniques and shared his year long experience with you. With the long days on Pandora you had plenty of time to listen to his advice and attempt to realize it the best you could, making a tireless effort to sharpen your skills and knowledge. He even let you use one of his old sniper rifles, a rusty model by now but it delivered powerful deadly blows. Which was just your taste, were it not for the downside of the hard recoil the weapon had to it. 

Another headshot hit its target and you tried your best to work against the recoil, attempting to keep your feet in a firm stance as you peered down the sight. Mordecai noticed you struggle and got up from where he was sat to place a hand on your shoulder. It caught you off guard and you flinched slightly, hoping he didn't notice. 

"You look like you're being hit by a freight train every time you take a shot. This baby does a lot of good damage but you gotta be able to handle the backfire. There's way worse out there"  
He adjusted the sniper's position where it rested on your shoulder, then moved his hand to your hip carefully in order to fix your posture. The touch left you feeling attentive and a little too aware of how close he was to you now. Before you could blame your, frankly uncalled for, dizziness on the height and thin air, he spoke again and you could sense the alcohol in his breath. How was he still such a good shot when drunk? 

"Try again, I'll hold you" 

You aimed at one of the creatures scurrying around on the grass, eager to get its ugly head right where you needed it to be. You finally saw your shot and took it, feeling the support from Mordecai as he took some of the backlash off you.  
The Stalker let out a pitiful last cry before its body fell numb into the grass. 

"That's it, that's what I'm talking about"  
He let go of your hips which somehow left you both relieved and dissatisfied.

"Now if you wanna learn how to cope with recoil like that, I'd say we keep it up like this and I'm gonna slowly lower my support bit by bit, it's gonna be like training wheels yknow" 

You nodded. "Yeah, good plan."

 

A light shiver began to run through you at the lowering temperature; with the strong winds up here sundown made for even more freezing gusts that let you regret not having taken a warmer jacket with you. Mordecai didn't seem to mind, used to the admittedly not even very high altitude and unimpressive wind.  
He stretched his back as if he'd been the one doing all the shooting instead of pointing out mistakes and giving instructions from a deck chair. 

"I say we call it a day" He let out a yawn to further prove his point of You're Not Paying Me Enough For Night Lessons.  
"I don't want you wandering back home in darkness. This was fun, I still gotta have you around for tomorrow." 

You flashed him a grin, already feeling the excitement welling up for another lesson. You were barely beginning but you could already feel he'll help you improve greatly.  
"Don't worry, I can find my way. I'll see you tomorrow!"


	2. Chapter 2

The sun hadn't begun its ascend past the horizon yet when you made your way out of your apartment and toward the fast travel station, selecting Tundra Express. You crossed the land ignoring most of the Varkids that scurried around until finally you found yourself at the entrance to Tiny Tina's cave. You lowered your gun but kept it at your side, moving foward carefully. 

"Hey whatchu doin' here?"

You nearly jumped but stopped yourself from drawing your revolver, since it'd probably leave a bad first impression and you didn't need to leave bad impressions on a girl who could blow your head off if she wanted to. You turned your head to see her walking out of the garage you'd tried to sneak past, a little stuffed bear in her hand. She seemed to inspect you for a bit until she ran up to you in an excited manner. 

"Ooh you must be that apprentice person Mordy's teachin'! Decided to take the stairs today?"

You gave a humbled grin. "Yeah, yknow, that one climb was enough exercise to last me for weeks, I think I'm good"

"Heh alright, c'mon over here" She took the stairs and led you to a door, searching for its key in her pockets.  
"This leads right up to the rooftop", she explained, dumping some of her pockets' contents onto the floor. "Now where did I put that damn- ah, there it is!" She held up an old looking rusty key, working it into the keyhole to unlock the door for you.  
"Ta-daa! I'll leave it open for ya. Now go blow some heads up!" 

You gave her a thanks and hurried up to the tower, anticipation rising again with every step. You hated climbing stairs, but these ones were worth it. You came to the end of them and found a hatch to open, the sunlight that flooded inside almost blinding as your eyes had gotten used to the dim light inside.  
Mordecai noticed you and came over to take your hand and help you up the small shaft.  
"You gotta admit that stairs are way better than those shabby rocks", he said. 

"Yeah, definitely" You took out your sniper rifle from where you'd fastened it on your back in a carrier. "So, what's on today?" 

Your 'teacher' looked back at you with a grin that almost made you think he was impressed. He shook his head, "Damn, do you ever rest? You sure you're not one of those Hyperion worker bots?"  
You only laughed sheepishly. If that was his way of telling you he found your tireless performance impressive, then you'd take any compliment you could get. 

You shrugged, "I figured if we start early we're gonna get the most of it. If you want me to pay you more or something that's alright" 

"Nah, that's fine", he said and started walking toward the little shelter in the center of the roof that served as his home and, judging by the rather chaotic littering of bottles over the floor and shelves, a dump for used up alcoholic containers.  
You followed him but only peered into the room, stopping at the threshold. 

"C'mon in", he said, "Sorry for the chaos - I'm sure you've seen worse though"  
You laughed, "Yeah"

The room wasn't all that bad, small and cozy with a nice view of the deck and the surrounding highlands stretching out underneath. One of the walls held multiple sniper rifles on a rack, stacks of ammunition right next to it. You looked around for a bit waiting for Mordecai to grab whatever it was he wanted to find in here, and tried carefully not to step on any empty rakk-ale bottles. 

"Nice nest you've got here", you said, watching as he opened and searched a cabinet drawer. After a bit of rummaging around he found what he was looking for, pulling out a bag of bird food. 

"Cozy ain't it", he said as he stood back up. "Hope you don't mind, but Bloodwing hasn't had her breakfast yet. It's not gonna take too long" 

He walked past you back out the door and towards a pipe outside that served as a bar for the aviator to sit on. You'd heard a lot about his bird, its attacks clawing bandits' faces to pieces within seconds. The bond that the hunter had with the pet was clearly stronger than anything, and you were equal parts excited and anxious to finally come face to feathered face with his winged companion. 

Mordecai called out for her and it wasn't long until she came flying towards the two of you in a speed that could exceed any of the Buzzards whirring around. The bird came to a halt on his right arm he'd held out for her to land on and cawed happily when he ruffled the back of her neck.  
"Time for your meal, killer", he said and held his arm toward the metal bar. "Sit"  
The bird promptly followed his command and hopped onto the pole, awaiting her treat. You watched intently as Bloodwing sat there, stretching her wings out and cleaning them a little with her beak. Her eyes followed Mordecai's hand that reached into the bag to pull out a piece of a grilled Spiderant leg, which he then threw into the air in front of his pet to fetch. She caught it and made fast work of it, immediately eager for the next. 

"Someone's hungry today! I'm kidding, she's always hungry", he said with a smile as he threw her another piece. 

Seeing Mordecai so happy with his pet almost made you wish the shabby apartment you'd rented in Sanctuary would allow you to keep animals yourself. You supposed it was for the best as the place wasn't exactly the nicest and safest environment for one, but still, you'd greatly appreciate some company.  
The alien bird cooed with joyous comfort when Mordecai pet her again, leaning her head so he could better reach the underside of it. 

Almost without thinking you asked, "Can I pet her?"  
You could swear the answer would be no, cursing your curiosity for demanding such an unfitting thing. You guessed he'd be rather protective of Bloodwing, so you saw your chances of him allowing someone he'd known for less than two days to pet her very slim.  
Which is why you were pleasantly surprised when he answered, "Sure. You're pretty close already, and so far she hasn't torn your face off so you're off to a good start"  
Well that was reassuring. You smiled nervously and stepped closer, thankful that she was still distracted by the treats Mordecai kept feeding her. 

"Go on, don't be shy. She won't bite", he said, and after a short pause added, "...much"

You slowly held out your hand and moved it behind Bloodwing's head, not quite touching her feathers yet. You stole a glance at Mordecai to make sure you weren't short of being murdered by the bird, and he gave a small nod in approval. 

You let your hand lower to touch the top of her head, stroking down softly and carefully as not to hurt or irritate her in any way. At first she didn't seem to notice, still chewing away on one of the grilled Spiderants. You continued, feeling the soft feathers brush up against your fingers. You could see why Mordecai was so fond of his pet.  
Bloodwing finished the treat with a satisfied caw, then turned to look at you.  
Mordecai closed the bag of food and crossed his arms, watching with an amused expression as you flashed a nervous grin at the animal that continued to stare at you. Finally she moved; you realized you'd stopped in your strokes and Bloodwing was animating you to keep going. 

"Would you look at that, I think she likes you!", Mordecai noted happily, setting the bag aside to pet his bird as well. Sometimes you wished you were a pet too, just to truly live out the verb of that name and wallow in the comfort of being treated and caressed. What a wonderful life.  
Bloodwing just so much as basked in the attention she was getting, closing her eyes and opening her beak slightly to let out soft, comfortable noises. Mordecai chuckled and gave her one last pat on the head before grabbing the bird food off the floor again to store it back inside. 

"Man, I could do this all day..", you murmured as you stroked along Bloodwing's feathery body, watching the the bird relax further into your touch. 

"I know right. She's a good girl", Mordecai said and walked back out to lean on the railing to your right.  
"Unfortunately, I'm not available for any falconry lessons. So go grab your rifle and get to work before Bloodwing gets hungry again and tries to chomp your fingers off"  
That was a mental image you didn't need to have, though you were sure the lovely albeit bloodthirsty creature would never do such a thing to you. Still, you had all reason to follow Mordecai's command since it was already past midday and petting a bird didn't make the clocks stop turning, no matter how much of an alien bird it was. 

You went up to the same spot where you'd done your first training yesterday. He handed you some ammo and a scope for your rifle to try out and you soon got to work, targeting one of the many bandit camps near the train station. The new scope enhanced your zoom greatly, helping you land some nice consecutive head shots, much to the dismay of any bandits nearby that you hadn't hit yet. Quickly the small camp was wiped out of enemies, the only ones left now boarding their helicopters to attempt airborne attacks on you. 

"These guys are so pathetic", Mordecai said as he watched you aim and fire another shot at one of the engines.  
"They just never give up, even when their chances of winning are thinner than the fabric of Moxxi's panties"  
You snorted at that, keeping up your fire in an effort to hit the men that were clinging to the side of the helicopter, shooting you. 

Hitting the Buzzards was a bit of a hassle as they moved rather fast but soon enough one of them finally gave out, the engine whirring its last broken cry as it crashed into the ground. The fiery explosion it left behind painted a satisfied grin on your face, and you looked over to see Mordecai smile at you with something you guessed could be pretty close to pride.  
He cracked open another bottle of Rakk-ale. "Keep it up"

You refilled the sniper's ammo while your shield recharged, then aimed the weapon back skyward. What you then couldn't spy through your scope though was that one of the Buzzard's occupants pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it towards you onto the roof.  
His action didn't go unnoticed by Mordecai however, who uttered an annoyed "Seriously". You lowered your gun to see him quickly run over to pick it up and fling the grenade back at the aircraft. It exploded with a bright flash, countless crackling blue bolts striking the helicopter and Bandits inside, impairing its electronics until it plummeted to a crushing death that didn't leave any less explosions than the previous. 

"Damned idiots", Mordecai grumbled as he watched the Buzzard find its well deserved end amidst the hills.  
"That was close, I really didn't notice that grenade coming in", you said. Though you were sure your shield would've been able to suck up most of the damage for you, you were extremely glad he'd saved you that trouble.  
"Thanks"

"Hey, it's nothin'. I can't afford to lose my new student on their second day" He came to stand next to you and leaned his arm on your shoulder. He was so much taller than you, but judging by his slim figure you'd bet he weighed less than you did.  
"Literally can't afford it. You pay a good loan." He laughed. "That was a good fight. What do you think, how about we hit the bar to celebrate?"  
You looked up at him with a grin. "Hell yeah"

 

The bar was busy and lively, most folks already deeply drunk even though the sun had barely set. Pulsating with music and drunken banter it felt like a haven amidst all the outside world trouble with Hyperion, and a perfect place to spend the evening.  
You stood at the entrance, trying to spot a couple free seats somewhere. 

"So, you told me you live here in Sanctuary right. Do you ever come here?", Mordecai asked after a bit.  
You stepped aside to let a small group inside, then answered, "Yeah, sometimes. Not quite as much as you do I guess, but I enjoy a good drink every once in a while"

"That's good, that's a start. Moxxi's got the best Tequilas on all of Pandora, you've gotta try 'em- hey, free seats, finally!"  
A young couple got up from their bar chairs right at the front of the counter, leaving through the back door caught up in some love struck business.  
You made your way up to the counter and as soon as you'd gotten comfortable on your chairs, the keeper of the bar greeted you. 

"Now who's _that_ pretty face?", Moxxi asked when she saw you take seat next to Mordecai, who now began to regret having taken the ones right at the counter. You started to introduce yourself with your name, but she quickly interrupted you.  
"No sugar, what I meant was more like-" 

Mordecai cut her off, "They're my student. Apprentice, whatever you wanna call it. I'm showing them some sniping techniques"

Moxxi shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. Now what can I get you two? I'm sure you've had enough headshots but I've got some shots for your head"

"You wanna try the Tequila?", he asked and you gave a nod. "Hit me"

"Dos tequilas por favor!" 

 

As you waited for your drinks, Mordecai began some small talk, asking about your work and plans, whether you'd ever wish to leave the little hellhole that Sanctuary could be more often than not. Questions about your future brought up more about the past, and as the evening progressed you learned about him as well. He told you the story of how he got Bloodwing, leaving you crackling in disbelief and admiration for his enormous love for animals. You knew Bloodwing was an alien predator since you'd never seen any creature quite like her during your time on Pandora, but that the sniper would go so far as to commit a felony by breaking her out and running off with her was just a delight. The road he'd taken to Pandora hadn't been a friendly one but she was always there for him, a winged partner he could count on, high up in the skies. 

The passion and enthusiasm with which he talked about his winged friend was almost cute, and quite a huge contrast to the cold and closed off attitude you had anticipated him to have when you first heard about him, and that you'd kept up until you filled in the application for the course.  
The stupendous smile he had never left his face and you soon found yourself in a bubbly cocktail of grinning and laughing as well. It almost made you forget that Moxxi was still there, feeling closed off in your own little alcohol induced bubble. 

She seemed to try to both ignore and listen in on what stories Mordecai had to tell, focussing on her work but every now and again stealing a glance at him that you couldn't quite read.  
He had just finished telling another exciting adventure that included a huge number of scratched Bandit faces and guns, when you realized you'd been trying to take a sip out of a now empty glass. He noticed and quickly downed the last bit of liquor he had left in his, hitting up Moxxi to pour you another round. 

"Wanna try somethin' different?", he asked. 

"Sure, what do you recommend? You're the expert of drinking 'till the fatigue somehow comes full circle and you only land headshots"

"I'll take that as a compliment" He took the small lemon slice that was served with your drinks and bit into it. "You should try some Arid Rakk-ale next, it's one of my favorites"

"I feel like you'll say that about every drink tonight"

"I am a man of many passions", he said as he handed the two empty glasses over to the barista.  
You leamed a little closer to him, propping your head up with your hand and your arm on the counter top. "Let me guess, they include: alcohol, guns, women, birds, what else... Money! How could I forget money"

He laughed, "All of that's correct, just move the bird up by one. And the money"

"You like Bloodwing more than women?" It seemed perfectly plausible, the guy really did love his bird a whole damn lot. 

Moxxi put down your new drinks on the counter, apparently slightly amused by the current topic. "Can confirm", she said, which earned her a glance from the bird-lover in question.  
"You just stay outta this"

"Is telling the truth now prohibited? I heard Jack's calling it verbal littering or some bullshit" 

"This ain't verbal littering, it's just me having a strong loving bond with my pet! You should try that sometime, it's pretty fulfilling!" 

She rolled her eyes at him as if this was all following a routine that the two of them seemed to have gone through a lot. She turned to look at you.  
"I'm gonna give you some advice, dear. If you guys don't have anything going on already, I'm tellin you now, get outta there. Seriously, he loves birds more than some good baby cats if you know what I'm getting at" She put aside a Martini glass that she'd finished wiping off and gestured at you with a raised hand. If it weren't for her make-up she'd remind you of a stern teacher, trying to give life lessons to a group of tired 12 year olds.  
"You're gonna wake up in a bed full of feathers, and you're not gonna like it. Especially what they do to your skin, it's gross." 

Mordecai cleared his throat. "You do realize I'm right here" He crossed his arms. "I'm not deaf but the crap you're babbling on about really makes me wish I was"

You felt like a broken dam in between two forces that you'd rather not mess with but unfortunately and most uncomfortably had to. You set aside your glass to motion at the two to calm down.  
"Now, now, this bar is too pretty to fight in. Look at all those cool cocktail glasses, you don't wanna knock those over", you said, trying to see if you could convince yourself that you had the situation under even a fraction of control. "I don't know what kinda history you guys have but there's no use dwelling on the past. And who cares if Mordecai loves his pet, cuz honestly, that's adorable and we should all strive to be this good with.. well, maybe not birds but like, relationships 'n stuff" 

"Ha, see!", Mordecai laughed and hit your back, pulling you into a clumsy half-hug that had you clinging to the counter in order not to topple over. "At least someone's on my side"

Moxxi still seemed unimpressed, but turned back around to put a load of glasses into the dishwasher.  
"Just don't come running to me when you've got rash from his bed covers."

You'd casually tried to tip-toe your way around the numerous nudges she'd made toward you about having a relationship that exceeded studying the best methods to hit a target in the head, but you were slowly finding yourself getting bothered by it. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeling, but what annoyed you was the uncertainty of whether the heat on your cheeks came from her innuendoes or the alcohol.  
Speaking of alcohol, you'd almost forgotten about the Rakk-ale that sat around in front of you, and so you grabbed the glass and dared a taste. It tasted slightly sweet at first, then bitter with a pleasurable burn to it. 

"And?", Mordecai tempted, swirling his own glass around to watch the ale dance along.  
"I'm impressed", you said, only setting the glass back down after you took another sip. "You really know your liquor" 

"Well, what did you think. The guy's more alcohol than flesh", came a comment from Moxxi, which you chose to quietly laugh at. 

The conversation picked up again and you quickly found yourself back in that wonderful secluded bubble of drunken contentment. Making awful jack-off puns and jokes about how horrible and not even handsome Handsome Jack was earned you a ton of wholehearted laughter and snickering, followed by equally bad or even worse jokes. You were glad everyone in this bar, hell, this planet, hated the man just as much since you probably would've been kicked out long ago if that weren't the case.  
Yet another round of drinks ran dry and when you'd both made sure to savor even the last drop, Mordecai shouted, "Otro más!" 

Slowly but surely you could feel yourself getting tipsy, if you weren't already. Everything around you somehow seemed so loud but distant at the same time, the blaring music box overshadowed by Mordecai's voice. He still didn't show any signs of the alcohol getting to him, and it seemed as if Moxxi was right with at least one thing; there was more alcohol than blood in his body. Which was admirable, but at the same time rather concerning.

Time flew by like a bullet, and your head felt more and more like it had been hit by one. You couldn't deny that you were still having one hell of a great time, but you felt the strong need for some fresh air. 

You attempted to get up from your seat, which proved itself to be very difficult with large amounts of Rakk-ale in your system.  
Mordecai watched as you tried to turn around in the bar chair so you could hop off of it.  
"You okay there?", he asked and steadied you by grabbing your shoulder. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just- gotta, uh", You gripped his arm to try and have more stability as you finally got off the seat. The world swam around you like a heavily disoriented whale. "Gotta get some fresh air"

"You're not gonna get very far like that"

"The door's like, ten meters"

"I'm coming with ya", he said and got off his chair. He wrapped an arm around you to hold you by the hip and guide you.  
"C'mon"

 

The air of Pandora was certainly not the freshest nor the best smelling, but it worked wonders for your headache and disorientation. You leaned against a stack of wooden crates outside, letting the cool night fill your lungs and clear your head a little. 

"Maybe I should've given you some lighter stuff to start out with", Mordecai contemplated as he watched you with a look of concern, up against a crate opposite of you. "The ale can be pretty unforgiving. I'm just kinda used to it, so I forgot about that."

You breathed and opened your eyes again, giving him a reassuring look. "I'm fine, really. You sound like my mom", you snorted and he laughed as well, which quickly made you feel the bubbly ecstatic sensation again that you'd somehow missed a little. It did a good job at keeping you warm. 

"I'm just a bit worried is all. Alcohol poisoning really isn't as much fun as some think it might be."

You sighed and looked skyward to see the stars and Elpis illuminating an almost cloudless night. It'd be just perfect, if there weren't the problem of every star appearing as double in your vision. 

"By the way, sorry about the thing with Moxxi earlier. I know you had no idea what that was all about, but I gotta say you handled it really well. You should write motivational speeches or something" 

You grinned. "I'll keep that in mind"

Pushing yourself off the crate, which in hindsight was a bad idea because now the inability to walk in a straight line made its devastating return, you inched closer to the other.  
"One thing for you though, mister snipey sniper" You poked his chest and he let out an amused 'Pffht' sound.  
"Stop. Apologizing.", you said. It came out a little slurred, as did everything you said, but you thought your point was pretty clear.  
"You're good. You're cool. And not just hot delicious pizza cool, more like, uh-" Drunkness did not enhance your ability to make up shitty analogies it seemed. "Something that's really cool, alright. You can be proud of yourself for a variety of reasons that I will not count out because I'm pretty sure I won't remember half of them"

He inspected you with an entertained expression, then chuckled lightly. "You're cute" 

Now it really didn't matter whether you were standing on the summit of the coldest mountain in Three Horns Divide or just straight up locked in a containment filled with liquid nitrogen, because your temperature was through the nonexistent roof. He led you closer by pulling the hand you'd poked at him with and holding you by the hip again. The closeness was making your head feel thicker than any good drink ever could.  
You looked into his- well.  
"Hey, look at me"

"I am"

"No", you said, grabbing his glasses. "Take those off. Why did you put 'em back on when we went outside"

"'Cuz I like them", He shrugged, but went to undo the attachments, "But I think I like you more so, you win this round" 

"I'm glad I got to beat the glasses", you laughed, "Let's see if I can get to Bloodwing's level" 

He grinned, pulling you closer just a bit. "You'll have to work hard for that"

"I'm willing to take the challenge" 

Your breath shortly stopped in your throat when he cupped your face in his hand, the cold leather of the glove making you feel so much more aware of the touch. He moved down to your lips, grazing over them lightly. The texture felt unusual but not at all unpleasant, still you longed for something different.  
With both your hands you grabbed the scarf he had wrapped around himself and used it to pull him in for a kiss.  
It was a small peck at best, clumsy and wavering as you had to stretch and stand on your toes to reach him. The height difference was something you'd liked at first, and kind of still did, but right now it was just being a bitch.  
When you pulled away he saw your frustration, thinking it was adorable.

"I know how we can fix that", he said. 

"I'm all yours"  
You were taken by surprise as he hoisted you up and sat you onto one of the crates so you were almost on eye level. He grinned. "I know"

Leaning in he closed the distance for another kiss, more confident and heated. You let your hands move to hold his neck and to pull the red wrapping off his head to lightly grab at his hair underneath. 

He pulled away to speak. "Do you not like that scarf or-"

"Shut up"  
You pulled him in again, eager to get more. The taste of alcohol was persistent and intoxicating, and it did a good job at making you feel even more lightheaded.  
He broke away to place a series of smaller ones on your neck, careful and gentle. You felt his hands stroke along your legs, which without thinking made you open them a little more. Just as he left a bit of a deeper hickey near your shoulder, he squeezed your thigh lightly, and you tried your hardest to hold back any sounds that threatened to escape you and alert other people behind the bar - though most of them might've been busy with their own very similar shenanigans. 

You never wanted him to stop, but managed to snap yourself out of your heated drunken haze to tell him, "Apartment"  
He only responded with a hum against your neck, which either meant 'I didn't understand what you said', 'your neck is really comfortable which is a weird thing to say, but true' or 'I kinda want some pizza right now'. There was also the possibility of it meaning nothing other than 'Mmh'. 

You clawed at his hair to try and pry him off of you, finding that he was awfully persistent as the grin he had against your skin only widened with your attempts.  
"Mordecai-", you sighed, making pause for a quiet curse as he kissed you again, "My apartment, now"

"You're the boss" He finally complied and moved away. The chill of night felt just a little heavier now that he was gone but it did nothing to ease the warm pulsating need you had.  
You stumbled to the small flat that was thankfully not too far away from the bar - then again, everything in this small town could be reached within a frame of five minutes - and you never hated the inventor of these doors more. Whoever that person had been, clearly they were to blame for the fact that you couldn't fit the key inside with how your hands kept slipping up. You had no idea what kind of weird bug Mordecai's metabolism needed to have for alcohol to give him more precision rather than to rob him of it, but you were intrigued to find out. 

The door finally lost the long battle against your drunk, shaky hands and you all but toppled into the dark room, barely managing to shut it closed behind you again. He kissed you as if it were the first kiss you shared tonight, deep and full of 'I've been waiting for this'.  
The wall hit your back before you even realized you'd been stumbling backwards and he pushed you up against it, letting his hands roam along your sides to your hips. You moaned into the kiss when he placed one leg in between yours, pushing up. Breaking away for air you cursed silently, uttering a shaky "Fuck" when he pressed into you again with a bit more strength. 

He stayed there and you let out a pleased humming sound, looking at him with your arms relaxed around his shoulders. 

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, hm?", he asked, never stopping the slow strokes up and down your sides. 

"Just thinkin' whether you're better at kissing than sniping", you answered. 

He laughed, "Well, am I?" 

"I dunno", you said and leaned in so you were pretty much touching his nose with yours. He helped you a great deal by standing a bit hunched over. "I've seen enough of your shooting to know you're good at that, but I'm not so sure about the other one yet" 

"Then let's change that", he whispered and closed the small distance between you. He pulled you even closer, letting his hands dip underneath your shirt. He was still wearing his gloves and frankly you had no intention of ever demanding that he take them off. The cold leather felt so pleasant against your skin as his hands roamed across your stomach and chest, leaving shivers to run down your spine. He placed kisses along your neck and shoulder again, only stopping to pull the shirt over your head. The vulnerable feeling made you freeze but Mordecai quickly took care of that, his light kisses and pecks now turning into bites. You gasped, feeling the pleasurable jolt of pain rush through your body to where his leg was still pressed against you. 

He suddenly pulled away to look at you. "You're okay with that, right?"

"What, biting?", you said, giving him an amused look. "Check if you've still got all your teeth. If you do, it means I haven't punched your cute face yet, which means that yes I am okay with it. More than okay."  
He chuckled at that and quickly leaned in again to leave a mixture of soft kisses and bites on the way up your neck, your stifled moans increasing in volume with every deeper sting of pleasure. Still you were holding back and Mordecai noticed, asking in between kisses, "Why you tryna keep quiet? No one's gonna hear you"  
"I- , I don't know", you said, trying to calm your breathing. Your attempt on that was promptly foiled when he pressed the leg that was still right between your thighs upward, the grinding motion making you cry out and shut your eyes.  
He was so close, and even though he'd stopped in his kisses in order to talk you could feel the marks where his breath hushed over your skin, making you feel like something that was already on fire being engulfed by a flamethrower and then flung into lava. 

He kept moving his leg up and down slowly and it wasn't long before you caved in, a deep moan along with curses leaving your mouth.  
"That's it", he whispered, "Let me hear those lovely noises"  
He gave one last teasing bite before pulling away to admire his work, and the satisfied grin that spread on his face was too tempting not to try and wipe off. 

The kiss was deep and lasting and you let your hands move from grasping at his hair down to his neck and along his chest, feeling the worn out fabric wrapped around his figure. You tried to find a way of pulling it off somehow but it seemed the thing had no end, like it was a part of him rather than his outfit.  
He broke the kiss to snicker at the effort you put up to free him of the scarf, and he caught your hands in his own to stop you from ripping it off or just getting out a knife and straight up cutting the thing apart.  
"Let me help you with that." He removed it with a few quick movements and now seemed to be looking around for a place to put it. 

"Just throw it on my bed", you said. 

"You talkin' about the scarf or yourself?"

Hah, clever. You raised your eyebrows, flashing a knowing grin. "Both"

Without much of a pause he pulled you off the wall and towards your bed, which you were thankful you had made this morning as it usually did not look as clean. Though you guessed that definitely wouldn't matter much soon.  
Your legs hit the bed frame and you let yourself fall into the cheap mattress, feeling like it was the most comfortable thing right now despite the fact that so far it had been the worst mattress you'd slept on in your life, and probably had an entire discrete ecosystem of its own inside.  
None of that mattered though when Mordecai connected your lips again after setting his scarf aside, climbing onto the bed with you in a clumsy change between kissing and shuffling into a position on the mattress.  
His leg was back between yours and his mouth at your neck, caressing it with even more small hickeys. The teasing strokes of his hands against the inside of your thighs made the heat inside of you bubble up even higher, as did, well, everything else that he was doing. 

You noticed that you were still shirtless yet he hadn't lost anything but his long-ass-scarf-thing-that-he-didn't-even-wear-properly-like-one yet, which honestly did not count.  
"You gotta lose some of those clothes", you said, feeling along the belt straps and tank top he wore underneath. 

"Oh, and you don't?"

"I've already got my shirt off, it's your turn"

He let out a small grunt and couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how 'serious' you were being. He unfastened the belts and holsterings, setting it all aside on the floor next to your bed.  
"'Cuz you asked so nicely", he murmured through the top as he pulled it over his head. 

You laughed. "Want me to beg for it next time? Get undressed, oh pretty please with a cherry on top and some whipped cream?", you mocked, loving how the little amused snort from him made your chest feel as fuzzy as a good shot of Rakk-ale. 

"Yeah, that's just the hottest thing I can imagine"  
He closed in on you again and came nearer until he stopped to whisper, "But I definitely wouldn't mind some begging"  
And there it was again, the heavy pressing feeling that had you so aware of his hands still on your thighs, lips so close to your own. Just as you wanted to get him closer to make him continue his series of bites on your shoulder Mordecai pulled away, a plotting grin on his face at the thought of whatever it was he had planned.  
He moved his leg back from your thighs to better position himself on the, for his size, way too small bed, and began leaving small kisses down your chest and tummy. The action made you giggle lightly as the little pecks had a tickling sensation to them, but giggles quickly quieted to sighs of anticipation when you realized where he was going.  
He let his hands brush up your thighs to find your belt and undo the buckle, freeing you of your jeans. He leaned back down to continue with his kisses but he didn't stop where you'd hoped he would, instead continuing his path at the inside of your thigh. The effects were still striking, inflicting bolts of pleasure to run like electricity through your veins. He dared a bite and you cried out, the pulsating hot feeling it left strengthening the one you felt at your core.  
You heard a dirty chuckle come from him as he seemed greatly satisfied with what he was doing to you. He didn't waste a second though and kept making his way up - slow, so so agonizingly slow.  
You let his name slip past your lips in a whisper, hoping he'd pick up the speed and give you what he knew you wanted. He pretended not to hear you though, and so you tried again, "Mordecai," You let a moan break free when he left a bite, "C'mon"

"Hmm" He let his hands go to your hips again, hooking your remaining article of clothing with his fingers but not pulling it off yet. "Where's that cherry on top you promised me?"

You sighed in frustration but couldn't help but grin as you did. "Just- keep going"  
He didn't move, waiting. "...Please" 

"Ain't so hard now is it", he finally said. Seeming pleased with what he saw, what he'd done to you already, he picked up again where he'd left off. The pace was still agonizing even though he was so close, every soft kiss and teasing bite having you let out light moans. Your breathing sped up but you still felt like you couldn't get enough into your lungs, as if the room around you was being exposed to the heat and hot heavy air ruling the deserts in the Dust.  
You let out a groan, tired of waiting and being teased.  
"Hurry up will ya" Your voice already sounded weak and wavering, which didn't help strengthen your demand but you thought it was the content that counted.

You grabbed a fistful of his hair to nudge him closer, just a bit, a little more, come on.  
"Hey", he called, attempting to counter your move by pulling back. You hated his smug look.  
That was a lie, you loved it.  
"Just for the record, we _do_ have all night"  
"I know but- God, how much more do you want me to beg" He was about to give an answer but you stepped in, "That was rhetorical"

You pulled him by the hair again, despising how he only seemed more satisfied and amused the more you did.  
"Alright, alright", he laughed, the warm breath of it not doing a good job at having you keep your composure.  
"If you wanna be a good sniper you've gotta have patience" He moved closer, just a bit. "Waiting for your bait to walk right into your sights, preparing for the perfect moment to strike," You felt his breath, ghosting, so hot, so close. "That buildup's the real thrill of hunting." 

You gave a choked cry when finally, finally you felt him where you'd been waiting for so long, the sensation sparking gratifying pulsing shivers. Your grip in his locks tightened further and he didn't complain, instead quietly humming against you which only made your heat build faster.  
It seemed the sniper had his experience, - which honestly you wouldn't have guessed any other way - and soon you were reduced to a heated mess of moans and curses.  
He did the best he could at dragging it out, moving in terribly slow strokes just to spite you. But surely you began to feel the heat inside of you reaching closer to its top as the whispered swears leaving your mouth were cut off to make way for groans, and your begs left behind only his name to plead.  
Just when you were sure the fire inside of you was short of erupting, he pulled away, giving one last sweet kiss before he sat back up. To you it felt bittersweet, as was the taste on his tongue when he kissed you again. Deep and burning it made you drag him as close to you as you could, wishing you didn't have a vital need to breathe so you'd never part. He pushed your legs apart lightly and you gladly gave in, letting him move closer as he grappled with his buckle to get it open. He placed another small peck on your lips, then quickly leaned back to have his pants join yours aside on the bed. 

You couldn't stop yourself from biting your lip, no matter how cliché that action was considered to be.  
"Man, sorry to keep you waitin' there", you said with a grin. 

"I'm sure you'll make it up to me" 

He took off his gloves, which you found yourself being kind of disappointed about because you really liked the texture, but it likely wasn't the last you'd see of them so you didn't stop him. He laid them on top of the small bedside table, then started, "Do you hav-"

"Top drawer, the red one"

He grinned, opening the container to find two small bottles inside. "Uh," He stared at them, his hand hovering but not taking one out. 

"The one on the left", you said, watching as he took it. He slightly shifted on the bed to align himself, then looked at you.  
"You good?"

"Oh I am excellent, thank you for asking!", you said, earning a laugh from the other.  
You reached out to grab him by his neck and pull him in for a desperate kiss, hoping to show him without words the gentle phrase of 'get on with it already'.  
He got the message and shifted forward carefully, the slow pace being comforting this time rather than frustrating. He stopped once fully inside but didn't start moving, instead leaning down and placing a few small kisses along your neck. The gesture was sweet and honestly generally appreciated any day and in any situation if you had it your way, except for right now, when you needed nothing more than friction and release. 

You thrust your hips upward, hoping to encourage him. "Move, now, or I swear I'm gonna- ah, fuck"  
Even though still cautious as not to (unintentionally) hurt you, the movement sparked a sensation in you that had you crying out Mordecai's name, holding onto his shoulders and back for purchase. He was quick to pick up the pace once you'd adjusted, still caressing your neck which only added more fuel to your rapidly building fire. His hands roamed over your body and eventually came to a rest on your hips, digging into them lightly. You wished he'd apply more pressure there but your vocabulary had pretty much been reduced to begs for more with the occasional swear word, which made expressing that wish a little difficult. 

Your moans grew in strength and so did his thrusts, only slowing down to let you hear the words he said. He'd made his way up your neck to your ear, whispering praise that let some of your moans turn into yearning whimpers.  
"That's it, you're doing so well", he said, low raspy voice like music to your ears - some old vinyl you discover at a bus stop kiosk, seeming like nothing too special at first, worth the few dollars, but the more you listen to it the more you grow to love it. The praise he gave you reminded you of your first lesson, how he'd been so close to you to help fix your posture, that charming trace of pride in his voice when he saw you succeed. 

Not all of the words he left for your flame to burn higher were ones you understood, scattered phrases of what you assumed was his drunken, whatever other adjectives could be used to describe your current situation, version of Spanish. No matter the language, all it did was make you feel more and more like you were burning up, desire and pleasure pacing through you in boiling rushes. You tugged him away from your neck again to kiss him, moaning deeply as the embrace made him quicken his movements. You broke away after little time to gasp for air, not letting go of your hold on him, never letting go.  
A heavy groan left you when he shifted your hips upwards slightly, bringing forward empty begs that you'd forgotten the meaning of long before they left your mouth. Soon enough his own quiet pants joined in with yours to form a strange but lovely melody, punctuated only by your weak calls that begged him to move faster, harder. He followed every command you gave, locking your lips again at every moment he could like it was a contest on who could kiss you the most with him as the only contestant. It wasn't the only thing that left you breathless and crying out deeply every time you broke apart for air. Hearing his groans lost in pleasure gave you even more of just that, pleading and begging until even lonely words were too much, rendering you to nothing but moans and whimpers.  
You felt yourself getting closer as his strokes built up to be even longer and deeper, and when he reached one hand down with just a light brush you were gone. Giving one last choked cry of his name you felt like you were swimming and sinking in pleasure as it washed over you in waves, pulling you with in its current. He didn't stop moving, eyes nearly shut closed as he kept them fixated on you, nothing but you. The sensation was beginning to feel overwhelming and you tried to shut your hand over your mouth to stifle more of your wavering moans, but Mordecai was quick to take it and pin it to the pillow to the side of your head. Lost completely to his own deep sea of satisfaction he gave a few final thrusts before pulling out, a heavy groan rolling out of his throat to then leave only heavy breaths behind. 

He pretty much collapsed on top of you, not like an unstable building would but more in the way of an Ikea cabinet component that someone didn't fix on correctly. He linked your hand he was holding with his, intertwining fingers and stroking softly with his thumb. His head rested on your chest as your breathing slowly calmed down and he let out a pleased hum when you stroked through his hair. You probably wouldn't admit it if you were sober but you'd developed a strong love for his locks, the way they felt in your hand to pull him closer when you kissed, soft, and frankly, pretty darn cool looking.  
He left one small, tired kiss on your chest, then looked up at you with, god, just the cutest grin you'd ever seen. You heard somewhere Hyperion had some model of contact lenses in the works that gave their wearer the ability to take pictures with their mind, and though you'd never buy from those jackasses, - pun strongly intended - you really wished you had a pair of those right now.  
He closed in for an embrace that was short and sweet and exhausted in the most pleasant way. You sat up with the support of your elbows and reached into the bedside table to clean up the mess on your stomach with some tissues, falling back down into the pillows immediately. He'd moved to lie next to you and you reached to the foot of your bed to pull the covers over you, not bothering to put your clothes back on because it was hot enough, really.  
He put an arm around you and you scooted as close as you could, your head meeting his chest and letting his chin rest on top of it.  
"Don't fall asleep just yet I still gotta tell you something", you murmured, though it was likely you were the one in higher risk of falling asleep. After a bit of a pause he replied, "And that is?"  
"I think the kissing's just a liiiittle bit better"  
You heard a tired laugh, "Well that's good to know"  
He shifted on the bed so you were eye to eye, his breath still carrying sweet alcohol. You guessed it did so more often than not. "How 'bout we work toward to goal of you becomin as good a sniper as you say I'm a kisser, how's that", he said.  
You grinned, giving him a last kiss to his cheek before closing your eyes. "I'm in"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll most likely write more of this, don't know if I'll just add it to this work or make a series or something. But I'm so in love, god. I'll definitely write more of Borderlands once my finals are over, expect some Jack because i fucking love/hate him. It's complicated.  
> This isn't the first xreader I've written but it's definitely the one I'm fondest of cuz honestly it's just fan service where I'm the only fan fkcng  
> But if you want me to write more I'm open to requests (if u want u can message me on tumblr, treesided-triangle) There's such a lack of x reader fics out there because they have this prejudice of being 100 word chapter wattpad books with bad grammar and words by failed contestants of spelling bees, but they can be a joy to write and read!! So I hope you liked it <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this little introduction, it's gonna get interesting in the next chapter (wink wink)   
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at treesided-triangle !


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